The Body Shop

The Body Shop is a UK-based cosmetics company founded by the late Dame Anita Roddick in 1976. Inspired by a visit to a store in Berkeley, CA that offered naturally-scented soaps and lotions and was also called the Body Shop, Roddick returned the UK to open her own enterprise. The concept was a success, and The Body Shop expanded at a rate of 50% annually for a number of years. The company's stock was first offered for sale in 1984, and in 1989, Roddick purchased full U.S. and Israeli rights to the name "The Body Shop" from the U.S.-based company. The Body Shop placed an early emphasis on products inspired by nature, featuring botanical ingredients of Fair Trade origin. The company and its founder were noted for their social activism. The Body Shop took a stance against animal testing and refuses to use ingredients or sell products that were tested on animals after 1990. They were the first international cosmetics company to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for their "Against Animal Testing" policy. The company has used its store space, and its founder used her influence as a leader, to call attention to causes such as Greenpeace and media representation of the female image and its impact on women's self-esteem. The Body Shop created its own "fair trade" program called Community Trade, which involves trading with communities in need and giving them a fair price for natural ingredients or handcrafts the company purchases. The Body Shop now has more than 2,500 stores in 60 countries worldwide. It was sold to L'Oreal in 2006, and founder Anita Roddick's untimely death in 2007 made headlines around the world. Perfumes have long been a part of The Body Shop's offering, and are often accompanied by luxurious body care products in the same scent. Designer The Body Shop has 173 perfumes in our fragrance base. The earliest edition was created in 1981 and the newest is from 2024. The Body Shop fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Cecile Matton, Ralf Schwieger, Loc Dong, Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion, Corinne Cachen, Leslie Gauthier, Symrise, Domitille Michalon Bertier, Jordi Fernández, Sophie Truitard and Linda Song.